July » 2010 » Fly fishing in Michigan for trout, steelhead, and salmon on the Pere Marquette, Muskegon, and Manistee Rivers

Fishing report for July 30th- late summer setting in

Jul 30 2010

Michigan Fishing Report for July 30th, 2010

Click here for a good looking single page pdf version of this west Michigan guide report… perfect for a counter top or bulletin board.

For more regular updates, please visit our blog Third Coast Fly.

Pere Marquette River Water Conditions – average
>>> Daytime fishing continues to be difficult. We’re still managing fish on hoppers and turning a few on streamers, but generally fishing during the day is tough. Night fishing, on the other hand, has been good. The big browns are coming out after dark and looking for a healthy meal of struggling mouse. Seeing a few more salmon in the river as well, but not in fishable numbers quite yet. Matt Dunn
USGS Real-Time Data for the Pere Marquette River at Scottville, Michigan

Big Manistee River Water Conditions – average
>>> Warm below the dams. Most folks are concentrating on smallmouth.
USGS Real-Time Data for the Manistee River near Wellston, Michigan

Muskegon River Water Conditions – above average
>>>Again, with warm temperatures the trout fishing is slow Smallmouth fishing has been good. Phil Cusey
USGS Real-Time Data for the Muskegon River near Croton, Michigan

Beaver Island >>> The carp are still around, just a little tougher to catch. But with several good shots each day, if you can keep your cool as these big fish cruise within casting range, it will happen. This is truly a heart stopping way to fish. Kevin Morlock

Third Coast Fly, Beaver Island on the Fly by Matt Dunn and Steve Martinez

Posted in Carp Article/Video by admin

Jul 23 2010

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Third Coast Fly, Beaver Island on the Fly by Matt Dunn and Steve Martinez. July 2010

Matt and Steve kicked around for a couple beautiful days on the islands and shot some fun video. The islands are the perfect summer destination even if they didn’t have great fishing… but they also have GREAT fishing.

Beaver Island on the Fly from fishbeer on Vimeo.

Carp Fly Pattern… Morlock’s Beast Bait

Posted in Carp Flies by admin

Jul 16 2010

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Visit our Michigan Flies page for all of our patterns and recipes.

Carp Fly Recipe… Morlock's Beast Bait by Kevin Morlock

This is pattern and in the yellow in particular is becoming a staple on Kevin's carp trips. Though he has been tying and using variations of this pattern for years he has been reluctant to give it a name because it looks like dozens of bunny strip flies that are already out there.

Though this year Kevin has decided to give it a name because people keep asking what it is called and why the recipe isn't on the site. And also because this fly has now accounted for two of the four largest carp caught by the Indigo crew… both in yellow.

This is a quick and easy pattern to tie and should be tied in several colors. Tie them large, you can always cut them smaller on the water.

Best For… carp Could Also Be Used For… trout, bass, salmon and steelhead

***Materials listed in tying order

Hook… Mustad R90
Eyes… large red lead eyes
Tail/Body… yellow olive bunny strip (see note 1)
Collar.. light blue crystal flash
Hackle… Brown Schlappen
Head… brown rag yarn (see note 2)

Note 1 – Tie your eyes on and then glue them and let them dry. Before you put the fly back in the vise, pierce the bunny strip with the hook about 1 inch down from the head end.

Note 2 – The only place I know to get this yarn is FlyMasters, though on this pattern you could substitute anything.

Third Coast Fly – The Beasts of Beaver Island

regular rains keep the PM in shape

Posted in Fishing Reports by admin

Jul 15 2010

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West Michigan Fishing Report for July 15th, 2010

Click here for a good looking single page pdf version of this west Michigan guide report… perfect for a counter top or bulletin board.

For more regular updates, please visit our blog Third Coast Fly.

Pere Marquette River Water Conditions – rising
>>> After a few days of very warm weather and water temps in the upper 60s last week, things are back to normal. Regular rains have kept the PM in good shape. Big yellow streamers and mice after dark have been the most productive way to catch big trout. With the lamprey weir shut down this year we’re seeing a lot more salmon and lake run browns in the upper river already. Should be a good salmon season. Matt Dunn
USGS Real-Time Data for the Pere Marquette River at Scottville, Michigan

Big Manistee River Water Conditions – above average
>>> Early salmon arrived last week in fishable numbers. Hopper fishing is just getting going.
USGS Real-Time Data for the Manistee River near Wellston, Michigan

Muskegon River Water Conditions – above average
>>> Trout fishing has fallen off with the warm temperatures. Smallmouth fishing is good. Phil Cusey
USGS Real-Time Data for the Muskegon River near Croton, Michigan

Beaver Island >>> The guys are still catching carp pushing that magical 40 pound mark. Smallmouth fishing has also been very good with 5-6lb fish caught regularly. We think the next state record smallmouth will come from Beaver Island. Kevin Morlock